A review by heisereads
Captive by Aimée Carter

4.0

A solid second book in a series that reveals enough, introduces new characters, answers questions, brings new twists, and ends with a reveal that will have the reader clamoring for the final book. Aimee Carter writes exciting books with pacing that leaves the reader unable to stop turning pages. The world she has created in The Blackcoat Rebellion series is one that is frightening, fantastical, yet all too believable with characters the reader will root for. There is commentary about politics, celebrity, power, caste systems, societal norms, rich vs. poor, waste of resources, and the normalizing of violence. All of that is intertwined with a young girl seeking to be normal and allowed to love who she wants, while having to pretend to be someone else. While Kitty fights for her freedom, she begins to find the strength she has herself and what she truly values most. As she battles with becoming a part of the rebellion or just living her life, she struggles to figure out who and what really matters. As Knox at one time points out, some people put people over ideals,while others put ideals over individual people, which is the crux of Kitty's journey to finding her place in this second book. Can she be the face of a rebellion, can she be who she truly is, can she fight for what she believes, can she be true to the people who matter to her, can she impact a nation, can she do what's needed? Captive is all about choices, and reminds us that, "...death is inevitable for all of us. The only thing that really matters in the end is how we choose to live."